What is Rape Culture?

In both the United States and around the world there are prevalent attitudes and practices that normalize, excuse, tolerate, and even condone rape. This is the definition of Rape Culture, and it has been exemplified by many highly publicized cases this year, such the Steubenville rape case in Ohio and the gang rape that caused outrage in Delhi. The purpose of comparing these two very different cases of rape is to show that on varying degrees, Rape Culture is prominent both on the other side of the world, and right here in small town America.

Rape Culture is rooted in victim blaming. “She’s asking for it”, when a women wears a figure flattering dress or a short skirt. “She owes me” when she accepts a free drink or a walk home. “No means yes”, when she has been with other men. Here are some of the tweets from the public after a guilty verdict was reached in the Steubenville rape case earlier this year.